Well since we’re talking daily drivers 02 68k mile never een snow 02 f20 diesel f250. ‘14 twin turbo sport Explore . And others.
Here's a gem I recently picked up. It's a 1972 Grand Prix purchased from the original owner. It's an all-original car with 37,000 actual miles. I looked for quite a while to find one without a vinyl top and this is a beauty. It's also very well equipped, including the optional 455. Definitely a keeper.
Probably won't do you any good. I know you recognize the word "Lucas." (Kidding...many think it is the best looking car ever made.) Cheers!
I think the only non-Buick classic I've owned were my Jeep M-715s (2 of 'em). My '70 (factory Buick powered) Wagoneer DD that I bought in '83 would be a classic today (& maybe was even then) but back then to me it was just an old truck.
...only our DDs have been something else. Some were opportunity buys, but when wife became independent healthcare contractor and had long commutes at odd hours, we started buying new Hyundais for their warranty. Our '09 Sonata, which we still have in retirement, has been the best car we've ever owned. Except for the navigation system which I promptly replaced with a Pioneer, all it ever needed was tires/ brakes/battery/wiper blades...
...I have no personal experience with German cars, but through experiences of others, I consider them "needy." They have first class engineering, but it takes work to keep them on that razor edge...
The daily driver is my 2005 Dodge Magnum RT which the bride and I bought new. I would post a photo, but the Florida sun has totally killed the paint. I'm in the process of researching some sort of a carport for it and the Buchev. The Model T lives in the garage as does the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. I'm not a minivan person (actually it's not all that mini), but it drives like a luxury car. The Magnum is not my favorite car ever (it's close), but it's probably the best car that I have ever owned.
I bought a 1984 Fiero back in 2018 for $500 and turned it into a daily driver for three of my HS-aged kids. It was a much cheaper hobby than the GS and a different kind of fun when driving.
My 98 Riviera with 212K on it was developing some terminal rot underneath. I sold it to a girl from Philadelphia on Craigslist. My brother has owned 3 Hondas, the latest being a 2018 Accord Hybrid. In May, I bought a 2023 Accord Hybrid. I wanted a car, not an SUV, and the Accord really fit the bill. I bought the top trim level, the Touring. It has everything you can think of, and it drives incredibly smooth. Sticker said the MPG was 46 city, 41 hwy, and 44 combined. Well, mixed driving, I am getting 49-50. Put gas in it once a month. Nice car.
I have a 2015 Honda Odyssey with leather interior, bought new. Now has 98,000 miles on it. Just standard maintenance on it. Best vehicle I have ever owned. My other car is a small 2009 Mitsubishi Outlander Suv. Only options, a/c, automatic and selectable 4-wheel drive. It now has 180,000 miles on it. It's has some expensive repairs, a/c and catalytic converter died. Guess that's not too bad. The one thing I didn't expect, the brake pads lasted for 95,000 miles before they needed to be replaced. I'am guessing because it has a small 4 cylinder engine. Also, it came with ceramic brakes pads. Even with 180,000 miles on it, the safety inspector tells me the brake pads look great. I'am sure i'am due for a new muffler some time soon but it keeps passing safety inspection. I hope the next car I buy are as good as these two vehicles. VET (Navy)
Had a few older MB cars. My longtime friend and MB mechanic says the best ever was the '90-'91 560 SEC. Other than that, he says around 1985 they quit making "real" MB cars. Only owned older ones, and they are magnificent driving machines, no doubt, for their day. Since we know GS cars, we also know they don't drive like new cars, which is why we own them. But yes, VERY needy and rather expensive on parts to fix. Also, the 280 6-cyl engine is HEAVY, uses a LOT of gas, and is not quick by any stretch. BUT, it is a tank in that if you can afford to keep it up, it will run forever. Valve guides were of a soft metal and need to be replaced every 50K or less depending upon how you drive, etc. Not cheap! The 560 SEC--I wanted one, but all I found except one--and I stupidly passed on it--were high mileage. They have timing chains that MUST be changed around 80-100 and that is very hard to do--you can watch this video on it and you absolutely need the MB tool--and the suspension system has a lot of no-longer-available hydraulic parts made out of plastic. Still, if you have the bucks, it is an awesome car, no question. As for the new ones, well, his shop is FULL to the brim with them. He tells me stories all the time about how bad they are, so if you get a new one, trade it when the warranty is done would be my suggestion. Cheers!
Oh, I agree they're "needy", and can confirm that the car really likes gas. It's good for about 20-23 mpg. Pretty crappy considering it's only 134 cu in. My carbs just sort of "quit", the fuel line packed up with fine rust, and that, along with varnish from ethanol gas shotgunned the Zenith carbs. The idle circuits are packed with goo. So they have to come apart again, and I just drained and blew out the fuel system and replaced the fuel pump. Even though the car is a sedan, it handles really well and is a blast to drive, - when it works. I've done a lot of the needed improvements to it, but obviously there are still some more to go. And it was running so good up to that point.... yeah, these cars tend to make exhausted and clapped out Buicks left in a wrecker's yard look absolutely bullet proof. I'd be happy to get it back to "tank" status, (I've heard that they were "tanks" from a lot of people who've owned them) but right now it has the reliability of a fine Yugo. I didn't know the guides were soft, but I was told that they'll do 100,000 miles reliably and then want a total rebuild. Mine has about 70,000 on it now, and the compression still checks out and it doesn't smoke yet. It's kind of like you get into the car, look at the wheel, and ask it in it's own language: "Also Herr Doktor Uhlenhaut, was haben Sie mir jetzt angetan ?" (So Dr. Uhlenhaut, what have you done to me now?) Rudolf Uhlenhaut was the lead engineer and largely responsible for that wonderful 6 cylinder that Mercedes built back in the 50s-60s, he's mostly known for the 300 SL and the 300SLR, but he did a lot of work with the stripped down version of that engine, the M180 6 cylinder that went into the 220 series, the forerunner of my 230S. I'd do a series on the trials and tribulations of this car, but no one would be interested on this forum, and the Mercedes guys have no doubt heard it all before.
I don't care how beautifully it drives, at the Mercedes-Benz price point, it should do 100,000 miles without needing anything but tires, belts, and hoses. I would describe any "normal" car (a McLaren ain't normal) that would need an engine overhaul at 100,000 miles, as an undesirable POS.
Some of mine from down in New Zealand. I have just sold the El Camino. The blue Holden Commodore SS is our daily driver, it is a factory LS3.
I don't disagree with you, John. The new ones probably run forever, but the older ones are somewhat problematical. My mechanic friend, who has been working on them for way over 50 years, worked on all of mine and while the cars are amazing, they do require constant maintenance. When I got the first one, in 1974, it was from a customer who traded me his '69 280SL for some stuff from my shop. He was mad because the tranny was bad. I had it rebuilt for about $900, which was a LOT back then, but worth it. This one had both fuel injection--a REAL problem as the pumps went bad and were VERY expensive to rebuild--and A/C, which never really worked very well for about 100 reasons that I will not go in to here. Still, with a really bad back I could drive it ALL DAY and get out with no back issues. The steering was tight and nimble at the same time (how do they do that?) and it simply rode amazingly for the 1970's technology. I had the 1985 SL model in the late '80's and it was a much better version of the car--everything worked better--and again, a joy to drive every day. SOLID as a car can be, and you FELT it the minute you started driving. Hard to explain unless you drive one. I have not driven the newer ones, so don't know anything about them. A buddy, against my fervent objections, bought a 1999 SL and it is a continual basket of trouble. EVERYTHING on it goes bad, from the ignition switch (!) to the A/C to the top cylinders, to the brakes and intake manifold and MAF and on and on and on. Luckily, he found a great mechanic with superb prices and it is running OK now, but for how long? It needs a soft top--get your wallet ready--but other than that I think he finally has it sorted. It was a "great deal" at about $15k with 39K miles, but he has put at least that into it I believe, to keep it running. Gas mileage--well, if you buy a MB, you shouldn't have to ask, I guess. If you ever get a chance to drive one of the older ones--I had a 4-door 280 sedan for a few years in the late 1970's--give it a drive and you will see what I mean. Cheers!
I don't disagree either; - the Mercedes engine was designed to cruise all day and all night at near redline; "Top speed is cruising speed", according to their advertising. These cars were designed for 10 year-lives on the Autobahn, and after that they'd usually be too rusty to fix up when they started to smoke. No one ever kept these for the long haul. This is also why they were totally unsuited to the American environment, it's the incredible amount of highway travelling we do here. In Germany, in 8 hours you have crossed the country from north to south and stopped for a leisurely lunch in between, In North America, you're barely over half way to Vancouver from Edmonton. Cruising at 60 mph you're doing over 3400 rpm; - which would be a lot for an American car of the period, the rear axle is a 4.08, that's how they get any performance out of a 135 cu in motor. For cruising the car desperately wants an overdrive, and it's an option for mine that I'm exploring while I'm still working, But,... because like anything having to do with a Mercedes, I'm wavering because it's expensive, and probably needlessly so. If you were to try and take your run of the mill SBC equipped '66 Nova with 4.11's on a highway tour like that, it would probably be junk inside 100,000 miles too. We all know what would happen to a Buick engine geared like that over a long trip. That's why the subsequent W-108 series with the V-8 and the better gearing did so well here but not so well in Europe; - Mercedes responded to the American market and built something that they expected would take out the competition; - a formula that worked for them in Europe. So they cut in on Buick's and Cadillac's market shares, but never were a real threat, but they were selling more high end cars here than they were over there. With my car it was pretty much half and half; (half stayed in Europe, the other half went overseas) there were only 45,000 of them produced in a 3 year run; and almost none exist anymore. There are also more survivors over here than there are in Europe; - they used a lot less salt in places like California, Florida and Texas.
This shares space with my ‘72 Stage 1 vert. Just finishing up converting from the original 305 Chevy and TH350 to 455/462 Pontiac and ST10 4 speed. Factory 3.42 posi. Should be a fun car. One year only color, original paint.
Got the 2000 Road King Classic barn find type project home from CT last weekend... like most of us, I needed another project?? It's more than just surface dirt, and it hasn't run in over 10 or 15 years, but the wife is looking forward to getting started on it and spring two-up riding.
